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The Nuts and Bolts of Nuts and Bolts

Whether you’re involved with construction or furniture building, or have never held a tool in your life, fasteners are crucial to your day-to-day convenience. As the name implies, a fastener takes two things and keeps them together. Simple, right?

Well, not quite. Fasteners come in all sorts of sizes and types. Screws and nails are technically fasteners, although are typically not referred to that way. In many cases the type of fastener used can be easily determined, especially in the context of kits.

However, there are many cases where the typical market fastener just doesn’t cut it. Especially in cases where you’re in the manufacturing business and need to fasten unique items in a very specific way. When you can’t use standard fasteners, you’ll want to acquire custom fasteners for the job.

Custom made fasteners can be configured the way you need them. Have big metal pieces of machinery? A custom fastener will ensure your machine stays together the way you need it to. Need your fastener to be stronger than normal to withstand large amounts of pressure, a custom made fastener does the trick.

You can also get fasteners in metric sizes. Even though you’re used to measurements in normal American units, metric fasteners are a good idea if you’re planning on selling your products overseas.

While a lot of fasteners are produced to stay secure, there are cases where the people using your product might want to adjust the tightness of the fasteners. A screw can be tightened and loosened with a common flathead or Phillips screwdriver. However, you can get bolts which can be adjusted with a properly fitting hex key.

It’s not good to cut corners and risk your specialized products on fasteners that aren’t made specifically for the job you need them to perform. Getting custom fasteners, specifically made for your products, will give you the peace of mind that your products will hold up to the rigorous use your customers expect.

Selecting fasteners for the products you produce may seem like a little detail, however, the wrong fastener can jeopardize your entire reputation. In comparison to the possible outcomes of skimping on fasteners, the price for custom fasteners—as needed—is well worth the time and cost.

If you’re not sure if the fasteners you’re looking at are right for the job, you may need to make a prototype to test out the fasteners in question. A prototype allows you to make one of your products to ensure everything is working as it should. Not only will you be able to see how the fasteners work, but whether the rest of your product is functioning properly.